Conor McGregor nearly called off his UFC 264 trilogy against Dustin Poirier. Or, at least, made empty threats that he would in an X (Twitter) tirade directed at ‘The Diamond’, who has founded and runs the charity ‘Good Fight Foundation’ which is committed to helping those in need and being a voice for the unheard according to their website.
The reason behind his outburst was a $500k donation Conor McGregor had promised Poirier’s philanthropic foundation, which he initially didn’t come through on, leading to Poirier calling out the Irishman on Twitter. As Poirier sets up to face the dangerous Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, we take a look at the organization and his controversy with McGregor.
All we know about Dustin Poirier’s Good Fight Foundation
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There is an interesting story behind Dustin Poirier establishing the ‘Good Fight Foundation’ in 2018. When he was boxing up his old fight memorabilia, it occurred to the former interim UFC lightweight champion that he could auction his gear and give the proceeds to charity.
Since then, the Good Fight Foundation has undertaken numerous charitable efforts, the details of which are available on their website. Some of their philanthropic efforts include helping quell the water crisis in Uganda, and Thanksgiving Food Drives and School Supply Drives, in their hometown.
Poirier sets fundraising goals for each of his fights and auctions off his fight gear to raise funds. The philanthropic organization has raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to various charities and causes in this manner over the years.
In 2020, for example, they donated to the Lebanon Red Cross following the explosion in Beirut. They also provided tools and supplies to aid workers in cleaning up the debris left in Lake Charles after a devastating hurricane. However, ahead of Dustin Poirier’s UFC 264 clash against McGregor, it became a significant talking point for some unpleasant reasons.
Conor McGregor’s controversy with Dustin Poirier and the Good Fight Foundation
After Conor McGregor’s promise of a $500k donation for Dustin Poirier’s foundation failed to materialize, Poirier publicly accused ‘The Notorious’ of backing out and not responding to Poirier’s team. This accusation incensed McGregor, who fired back and explained that he did not send the donation through as Poirier’s team failed to provide his camp with the details and plans of how exactly his money would be utilized.
That's a fun prediction! @TheNotoriousMMA you also predicted a donation to my foundation and you and your team stopped responding after the fight in January.
See you soon.
July 10th Paid In Full!— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) April 11, 2021
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Poirier, however, was unconvinced and questioned why the Irishman had ceased contact with his team if he had wanted further details, which his side would have provided him. Later, Poirier would acknowledge that he made a mistake by making the dispute public and felt he could have handled it better. The lightweight star was not too pleased to see his organization’s name dragged in the mud.
In the end, however, McGregor did end up donating the promised $500,000 to another philanthropic organization in Poirier’s home state of Louisiana called The Boys & Girls Club, which Poirier has helped raise money for previously. But McGregor is not the only big UFC name who has tried to donate to Poirier’s foundation. UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov swapped t-shirts with Poirier after their UFC 242 bout and promised to auction them off and donate the proceeds to Poirier’s charity works.
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Dustin Poirier is sure to continue his charitable and philanthropic work in the years to come. But can he become the undisputed champion and finally finish his story? Let us know your predictions for UFC 302.